Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) warned on Sunday that he believes President Donald Trump’s 2024 White House bid could be nullified under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.
According to Kaine, Trump’s efforts to reexamine the results of the 2020 election and the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6 could make him an environment where his candidacy is in question, as The Washington Times reported.
The amendment states a candidate for president cannot have “engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.”
Kaine expressed his view that “the attack on the Capitol that day was designed for a particular purpose at a particular moment”—to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power as laid out in the Constitution—on ABC’s “This Week” program.
“In my view, the attack on the Capitol that day was designed for a particular purpose at a particular moment. That was to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power as laid out in the Constitution,” Kaine, Virginia Democrat, said on ABC’s “This Week.”
“I think there’s a powerful argument to be made. My sense is it’s probably going to get resolved in the courts,” he said.
He acknowledged it may need to be resolved by legal means, citing a judge appointed by Obama who recently ruled against a Florida tax attorney who had sued to remove Trump from that state’s presidential ballot due to alleged violation of this amendment.
Kaine then concluded with his party’s focus: “My colleagues and I — our focus is on winning.”
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) also made similar arguments during an appearance on MSNBC, saying disqualifying Trump could be a ‘legitimate issue’ in 2024 election cycle and pointing out there was “pretty clear” proof Trump violated its third provision.
This provision forbids individuals who have “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” from holding public office. Schiff went further in explaining how this definition “fits Donald Trump to a T,” adding any case against him would still need significant legal scrutiny before reaching potential Supreme Court review due to its currently conservative majority of 6-3 judges.
